


New Year, New Us

by mldrgrl



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, New Years, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:52:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5598715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mldrgrl/pseuds/mldrgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another post-Millennium fic to add to the mix. Where do they go once they leave the hospital? What do they do once they get there...</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Year, New Us

Scully drove Mulder home. There was no discussion beyond asking for his keys as they left the hospital. Mulder handed them over after pausing in his step to reach into his opposite pocket with his good hand. The reach was awkward and his movements were slow from the fog of painkillers that had started to dull his senses. Scully held the passenger door open for him and made sure he didn’t jostle his arm as he eased into the seat.

 

Mulder kept his eyes closed on the ride home and Scully drove without thought, pulling up against the curb half a block away from Mulder’s apartment. After killing the engine, she sat back in the driver’s seat and turned towards Mulder, watching him doze. For just a few moments, she indulged in looking at him. She spent more time with this man than anyone in her life, but it never seemed like she had ever really and truly got a good look at him. She stared at his mouth, his relaxed, slightly parted lips. She stared at the lock of hair that curled and fell across his forehead. She stared at the mole on his right cheek, hiding in his five o’clock shadow. As if sensing her scrutiny, Mulder licked his lips and his eyes rolled open. He lifted his head and squinted at Scully before shifting in his seat and looking out the window.

 

“We’re home,” Scully said, quietly.

 

Mulder closed his eyes again and then nodded. He didn’t move and neither did she. She didn’t want him to fall back to sleep again, but it felt nice to sit in silence and watch the rise and fall of his chest. They didn’t have many moments of peace together, and she sank down in her seat, cherishing this one.

 

Eventually, a distant siren broke the silence and Mulder opened his eyes again, rousing with a deep breath and turning his head away. He pushed himself straighter and blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes. Scully took it as her cue to open her door and move around the car to get him up and out.

 

Scully bent slightly inside the passenger doorframe to help Mulder to his feet. His movements were slow and heavy. He leaned against her as she slid him away from the door to close it, good arm draped over her shoulder like her entire body was his crutch. She put a hand to his chest for balance, the weight of him pressing into her face, bending her neck and spine slightly. Mulder wobbled and Scully curled her fingers, taking a fistful of his t-shirt in her grasp.

 

“You okay?” Scully asked.

 

“Never better,” Mulder mumbled.

 

It took a few moments to get going. Mulder was sluggish and the fact that she practically had to hold him up made things a little awkward. Plus, fatigue had caught up with him combined with the effects of the pain medication. He shuffled more than he walked and Scully kept the slow pace with him, all the while ignoring the stirring she felt inside for something to happen. The warmth of him and the smell of his faded cologne and the solid bulk of him pressed against her was almost intolerable when in her head she kept reliving the feeling of his lips touching hers.

 

What Scully decided she needed to do was to just keep things moving. She needed to get Mulder up to his apartment. She would check his arm, and then she would go home. _Her_ home. And then all would be right with the world again. As soon as Scully opened Mulder’s front door, he broke away from her and headed for the couch.

 

“No you don’t,” Scully said, grasping Mulder’s elbow and giving his good arm a tug. “You need to lie down, and not on the couch.”

 

“I have to feed the fish,” Mulder mumbled.

 

“I’ll do that. And I want to take a look at that arm. Come on.” Scully gave Mulder’s arm another tug as she took a step back towards the hallway. Mulder shuffled along after her without protest or comment.

 

Scully turned on the light in Mulder’s room and motioned for him to wait while she turned down the bed. While she pulled the comforter down and arranged the pillows, Mulder held on to the corner of his dresser for balance as he pushed his shoes off his heels, one at a time, and stepped out of them. Scully turned on the bedside lamp as well and then patted the mattress for Mulder to sit down.

 

“How’s the shoulder?” Scully asked, gently prodding Mulder’s shoulder with the tips of her fingers.

 

“Bit sore, I guess.”

 

“Sharp pain? Burning?”

 

“Do I have to sleep with this thing?” Mulder asked, moving the arm in his sling up a little and wincing slightly when he did so.

 

“Afraid so. You need to keep those muscles relaxed.”

 

“I thought that’s what the muscle relaxer was for.”

 

“It is.” Scully cupped Mulder’s elbow and took his hand, adjusting the bend and positioning of his arm. “I can try to make it a little more comfortable if you’d like.”

 

“Please.”

 

Scully felt the strap of the sling, sliding her fingers up and over Mulder’s good shoulder until she reached the plastic adjustment clip that was just off center of his neck. Leaning forward to peer over his shoulder, she plucked at the tight loop to loosen it up. She couldn’t do it one handed and she brought her other arm around the other side of his neck.

 

Only moments into her task, Scully realized that she’d inadvertently leaned so close into Mulder that she could feel his warm breath against her collarbone. She was standing in the vee between his knees and even though he was sitting, they’d nearly been eye to eye. Briefly, her fingers stilled when Mulder turned his head and rested his cheek against her chest. She felt herself grow warm all over. Her heart began to race and she knew he must hear it with his ear pressed against her like that.

 

As coolly as possible, Scully raised the strap on the sling a few centimeters, hoping to take just a bit more pressure off Mulder’s shoulder. Before she finished, his good arm came around her waist and he nuzzled his face against her neck. His nose brushed her throat and she closed her eyes, her mouth opening to suck in a breath.

 

The sound of Scully’s slight gasp was deafening to her own ears and she flushed with embarrassment. She took a few calming breaths and then rested her hand against the back of Mulder’s neck and brought her chin down so that it almost touched his head. Her fingers inched up slowly until they were threaded in his hair, fully cupping the back of his skull. Seconds ticked by. The moment lasted long enough for Scully to relax and the heat to leave her cheeks. Her free hand made slow, casual sweeps down the length of his back, up and down.

 

“Mulder?” Scully whispered.

 

Mulder sighed. “I know,” he grumbled. “Don’t get too comfortable, right?”

 

Scully’s brows came together at the disappointment in Mulder’s voice. She stilled her hand on hi back and flexed her fingers in his hair instead. Mulder’s arm fell away from her waist, but Scully put a hand to his cheek, keeping him against her for just a few more moments. She bent her neck and touched her lips to the crown of his head.

 

“I’m going to go feed your fish,” Scully said. “And then I’m going to get a glass of water to put on your nightstand. When I come back, I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”

 

Mulder nodded. When she stepped away from him, his eyes were barely open and his head came forward, following her slightly before he jerked back and blinked rapidly. Scully averted her eyes and reached over to fluff his pillows.

 

“Why don’t you lie down?” Scully asked. She left the room before he answered, confident he could finish the task without her.

 

In the living room, standing in front of the fish tank, Scully took a few moments to calm her nerves. She felt like things had been happening lately between her and Mulder; things that shouldn’t happen, but that she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t deny it that she looked for excuses to be able to touch him. Mulder had always unapologetically invaded her personal space, but it also felt as though something had changed with him recently. He seemed purposeful, daring her to stop him, but still holding back.

 

Scully put it all out of her mind and fed the fish. She got a glass of water from the kitchen and then took the prescription bottle of painkillers from her jacket pocket to read over the instructions again. She checked her watch before she went back to Mulder’s room.

 

Mulder was sprawled on his back. Somehow, he’d managed to move himself to the far side of the bed and finagle his jeans off, leaving him in his grey t-shirt and boxers. Scully turned off the overhead light and quietly moved around to the nightstand by Mulder’s side. She set the glass of water down and twisted the cap off the bottle of pills so he wouldn’t have to struggle with them in the morning. She looked down at him for a few moments before moving to the other side of the bed to turn off the lamp.

 

“You leaving?” Mulder mumbled.

 

Startled, Scully glanced back at Mulder and then sat down on the side of the bed, resting her weight on one hip to face him. “Don’t take anything until at least seven a.m. and every eight hours after that, but only if it’s unbearable. Don’t take more than four tomorrow. Do you want me to write it down?”

 

“Maybe I could use some doctor’s supervision.” Mulder cracked one eye open and his lips curled slightly.

 

“Call me if you need me.”

 

“I need you.”

 

Scully’s mouth flopped open and then she closed it and swallowed.

 

“It’s late,” Mulder said.

 

“Or early,” Scully answered. “Depending on your view.”

 

Mulder reached across the bed before Scully could get up and put his hand over hers. He closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb over her wrist. Scully looked down at his hand. They sat quietly and then Mulder’s eyes slowly opened.

 

“Scully?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Have you ever heard the old tale that what you’re doing at midnight on New Years Eve is what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year?”

 

“You want to play with zombies for the rest of the year?”

 

“I think I’m done playing with zombies. And that’s not exactly what I was doing at midnight.”

 

Scully watched Mulder’s thumb move over her hand. “I think…” She paused, not wanting to commit to something she wasn’t sure she could follow-through with, even if she wanted to. She knew what Mulder was asking, and she wanted to say yes and throw caution to the wind, but she knew herself better than that. She knew him better than that as well.

 

“I think the truth of an old wives’ tale such as that wouldn’t be as far fetched as some of the things I’ve seen in the x-files,” she finally finished.

 

Mulder stilled and then squeezed Scully’s hand until she looked up at him and gave him a small smile. He took his hand back and then rested it across his stomach. Scully slipped off the bed and stood facing the doorway for a long time.

 

“You’re right, it’s late,” Scully said, turning back to face Mulder.

 

“Or early,” he answered.

 

Scully removed her jacket and laid it on the chair in the corner. She unzipped her boots and placed them next to the chair, out of the way. The whole time, she felt Mulder’s eyes on her, but he was silent, no teasing comments escaping his mouth.

 

The last thing Scully did before lying down next to Mulder was put out the bedside lamp. She turned onto her side, facing Mulder. Almost immediately, she felt Mulder sit up and she lifted her head from the pillow.

 

“Mulder?”

 

“Don’t want you to get cold.”

 

Scully felt a blanket being unfolded over her legs and she took over from Mulder’s awkward attempt at draping with one hand. “Thank you,” she said, adjusting the blanket over herself as she settled back down. A hush came over the room. Neither of them moved. Scully stared at the outline of Mulder’s body so close to hers, watching the soft rise and fall of his chest in the dim moonlight that came through the blinds.

 

“Scully?” Mulder whispered.

 

“Yes?”

 

“If I resolve to stay away from zombies this year, will you resolve to…remember that it could be New Years Eve every day if you wanted it to be.”

 

Scully felt the air rush out of her. Her body and her heart were pulled in one direction and her mind was pulled in another. She wished for a moment that she were someone else, someone who might have an easier time accepting the fact that there was a man in this world that loved her. She didn’t know why it was such a hard concept to swallow, but it was. It was simply terrifying.

 

“Does that include vampires?” Scully asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound choked, despite her throat feeling so tight.

  
“I don’t know, Scully, a vampire is of the undead and a zombie is more like the walking dead. It’s not really like classifying witches and warlocks together, but we could probably work something out if that’s a requirement. I can’t make any promises about werewolves or shapeshifters though.”

 

“I’m not even sure you can make a promise about zombies.”

 

“I can certainly try, can’t I? Can you?”

 

Scully bit her lip. She wished she could see Mulder’s face, but it was probably just as well. Looking him in the eye wouldn’t make things any easier on her. Slowly, with much trepidation and a pounding heart, she slid closer to him and as though he sensed her intention, Mulder raised his good arm and Scully eased into the space against his side. She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder and his arm came down against her back, hand curling over her hip.

 

“Happy new year, Scully,” Mulder whispered.

 

Scully came back up onto her elbow and tipped her face up to Mulder’s. She stretched her neck and placed a lingering kiss on his lips and then laid her head back down against his shoulder.

 

“Happy new year, Mulder.”

 

The End


End file.
